- BrandElijah Craig
- CountryUSA
- RegionKentucky
- TypeBourbon
- Size750ml
- Production Single-Barrel
- SKU 210000005961
Elijah Craig 23 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon 1989
This 23 year old Elijah Craig single barrel bourbon was matured in a single new charred oak barrel, filled in 1989, well before the tragic fire at Heaven Hill Distillery
Elijah Craig is named after an 18th-century pastor, often cited (perhaps incorrectly) as the first man to distill bourbon in the US due to his pioneering the use of charred barrels for aging. The Elijah Craig brand was trademarked by Commonwealth in 1960, who sold it to current owners, Heaven Hill in 1976. It would be ten years before they would bottle it for the first time however, somewhat controversially launched the flagship 12-year-old in 1986 when the US bourbon market was in one of its lowest troughs in popularity. The gamble paid off, however, reshaping the image of Heaven Hill as a premium producer, which prevails to this day with the Elijah Craig label remaining at the forefront of its output.
Heaven Hill was established by a group of private investors in 1935, following the repeal of Prohibition a few years earlier. Among the founders were distiller, Joseph L. Beam, and a member of the Shapira family. As the company grew, the Shapira's eventually acquired sole ownership of it, and their descendants still run it today. In a similar dynastic vein, Joe Beam remained master distiller despite the Shapira takeover, and members of his family have occupied the role ever since. This was produced at the Old Heavenhill Springs distillery, later renamed simply Heaven Hill, which was located in Bardstown, Kentucky.
It was sadly lost in a devastating fire in 1996, and bourbon made there has become increasingly sought after as the years' pass. The company had no distillery for the next three years but was permitted to rent stills at Jim Beam and Brown-Forman in order to maintain production. They eventually acquired the newly refurbished Bernheim distillery from Diageo in 1999, which has been their home ever since. Pre-fire distilled Heaven Hill Bourbons are increasingly soughtafter.
